About Line

<IMG

SRC="http://www.photo.net/photodb/image-display.tcl?photo_id=1581&size=md"

HEIGHT=375 WIDTH=270>

<P><FONT FACE="Arial,Helvetica">Minox IIIs, Minocolor

100</FONT><BR><BR>

The lines of a vessel are among the most beautiful of all design

endeavors. Naval architecture combines beauty with the essential

function of keeping water out. The compound curves of a boat are among

my favorite photography subjects.

<a href="http://www.haleysteele.com/hogarth/toc.html"><h3> William Hogarth </h3></a><P>

<p>English painter William Hogarth (1697-1764) considered line as one of the important element in pictorial beauty. He postulated that any object can be considered as made up of envelope of lines.

He devoted several chapters of his treatise "The Analysis of Beauty to the analysis of lines, straight lines, cicular lines, wavy lines, and serpentine lines- which he considered the most beautiful of all lines.

<center><P><P> <font size=5>William Hogarth: Analysis of Beauty</font><p><img src="http://www.haleysteele.com/hogarth/gifs/analysis2.jpg"></center>

<h3> Lines in Oriental Visual Art</h3>

<p> Western visual art, before impressionist movement, strived to

truthfully represent nature with its study of light and shade,

geometry and perspective.

<p> Thus, western visual art depends on light and shadow, with line

playing

secondary role, as contour of object

<p> In Chinese visual art, line has its own aesthetic meaning,

independent of and stands above surface,light and shade, as evident

from the art of calligraphy, which has always

being considered as a branch of painting.

<font color="green" size=5>

<p> Lines had such significance , that Xie He (aka Hsieh Ho) in his Six Principles

of Painting, elevated the principle of "Skeleton method and Brush work " to

the rank of second canon of painting

following "Energy, rythm, life and movement".</font>

<p> Later the method of lines was further developed into "eighteen

forms

of lines" such as 'musical string line', 'iron wire line',

'flying cloud

and flowing water line', 'orchid leaf line'. 'pinhead and mouse tail

line',

'high antique fine thread line' etc.

<h2><p> <a href="http://www.op.net/~uarts/lin/we_c_ching_2.html">Shi Tao and One Line Theory </a><P>

</h2>

<p> Monk <a href="HTTP://www.chinapage.com/painting/shitao01.html">

Shi Tao(1642-1707) </a> devoted first chapter of his "Analects on Painting"

'On One Line'.

Shi Tao postulated that a line is the beginning of painting. He wrote:

<font color ="blue" size=5><p>

"At the beginning of Universe, in its homogeneous state, there was

no method, when

this formless state dispersed, method began. From where method began ?

It began with

one line " </font><p>

<p> This visual art form based primarily on lines and away from

light and shadow is a fundamental abstraction, which gives

Chinese/Oriental

visual art its distinctive idealism and symbolism style.

<p> Straight line implies the feeling of straightness, uprightness,

strong, masculine, rigidity, solid, formalism, efficiency, neatness,

precision.

<p> Wavy line implies softness, gentle, feminine, grace, flow,

movement,

change

<p> S shape line was considered fundamental in the universe, and

represented in the Tai-Chi Yin Yang fishes diagram.

<IMG

SRC="http://www.photo.net/photodb/image-display.tcl?photo_id=1641&size=lg"

>

<P><FONT FACE="Arial,Helvetica">Reeds and Masts, Minox IIIs, Minocolor

100</FONT><BR><BR>

Nature doesn't like straight lines. Curved lines can be seen as a

metaphor for that which is spiritual, and straight lines for that

which is temporal.